I don't write reviews (ever). Not that I have anything against it, just that nothing has ever left a strong enough impression on me to warrant the time it takes to write a review (dramatic pause) until now.
My wife, best friend and I are all volunteers for the Phoenix Film Festival this year (which is a blast by the way). My buddy mentioned some musical that was about to show and we decided to sneak a peek at the first five minutes so we had something to make fun of over lunch. Seeing an amazing "diamond in the rough" film is the highlight of every festival; making fun of bad movies is a close second for a pair of failed (or failing) actors who have yet to make our mark. Joe Schermann was supposed to be only that: some cheese ball attempt at a contemporary musical that we could bash while we ate our Pita snacks.
We stole in and stood in the hallway to make our inevitable escape easier. Ten minutes later my friend turns to me and says (with an appropriate amount of shame in his eyes) "You wanna sit down?" Before I knew it the film was over, the lights were up and it was time to go do...whatever it was I was supposed to do. I've not stopped talking about this movie since. My wife saw it (in part at least to my incessant needling) and fell in deep in love with the flick as I did.
First of all: I wouldn't call this film a musical; at least not the way we've now been conditioned to think of them. This is an amazing movie that has music in it but the music adds to the narrative (unlike most musicals where the story is meant only to act as the set up for the next dance number). The filmmakers were able to walk the insanely thin line of "inserting song / dance number here" while moving the plot forward and further vesting the audience in the amazing (and not to be revealed in any way for fear of ruining valuable plot points by this review) experience that was: "How Do You Write A Joe Schermann Song".
Joe Schermann is such an amazing and talented musician he leaves no doubt as to why someone would choose to name a film after him. His acting is equally as rewarding - he has the gift of honest eyes and is able to simply "live" on camera instead of falling into the "what am I doing right now?" trap that a lot of indie-film / pseudo-method actors find themselves in.
The supporting cast deserves more than an honorable mention. Mark DiConzo with his always lovable if not only sometimes tolerable "make it happen" character, Debbie Williams as the golden voiced aspiring actress and Jenn Dees as the hilarious and over bearing, "I'm right / you're wrong" producer. However, the real stand out performance in this film is Christina Rose.
Christina is amazing. She can sing, dance, act, play piano and was the choreographer of the very impressive dance numbers. She has a level of talent reminiscent of old school movie stars like Cary Grant when an entertainer was exactly that, entertaining. The entire time spent watching Christina is done in a strange stupor as you try and figure out why the heck this girl isn't famous yet.
Last (and definitely not least) is the writer / director / producer Gary King. This film is so exceptionally unique in so many ways and each of them (I imagine) owes its existence to Gary King. He's a story teller in the truest sense of the term and is able to allow the audience a glimpse into the amazing world he creates without letting the window obscure the view (as so many directors do). He takes bold and daring chances that come close to riding the line of "gimmicky" but quickly transcend it into a realm of filmmaking where the director is truly in control and the viewer can sit back, relax and simply watch, comfortable in the knowledge that you're in good hands. If Gary's talent could be bottled, packaged and sold throughout Hollywood there would never be another flop. I believe the real question at hand may be: "How do you make a Gary King film?"
The ONLY thing that could be more fulfilling than watching "How Do You Write A Joe Schermann Song?" was watching the cast / crew accept their well deserved and hard earned awards for "Breakout Filmmaker" and "Audience Choice". To see how thrilled they were was, in itself, a thrill. They're impossible not to cheer for.
We've all had those experiences with movies that force you to keep your seat for a moment and revel in the fact that we just experienced exactly what it is we're looking to experience every time we go to see a movie. The scarcity with which we meet this feeling is part of the reason we grant it such high value. "How Do You Write A Joe Schermann Song?" is an amazing film and story that stays with you long after the credits have rolled.
